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It was another evening of lacklustre football at Old Trafford as both teams were left feeling like they could've gotten so much more, but came away with a point a piece on the night. United started the game brighter of the two sides, dominating proceedings in the first 12-15 minutes, but Palace slowly got a grip on the game after that and looked to be very threatening on the counter-attack.
Both teams had goals disallowed for offside, and the questionable nature of these rulings gave the fans all the more reason to clamour for VAR, as both teams could feel there was very little to nothing in both those decisions. Both Kouyate and Lukaku put the ball in the back of the net and were both ruled offside in what can best be described as incredibly close calls.
Manchester United really tried to push on by introducing both Marcus Rashford and Alexis Sanchez around the hour mark. Both David De Gea and Wayne Hennesey were forced into making key stops for their sides, particularly the Palace shot-stopper, who made several key interventions to prevent the visitors from conceding. Here are 3 Reasons why Manchester United drew the game
#1 Inefficiency in attack
Manchester United's woes keep on piling as the club failed to bounce back from their derby defeat before the international break, whilst their rivals and league leaders Manchester City cruised to another victory against the meek West Ham United.
United currently have a goal difference of -1 after 13 league games, scoring only 20 times in the league this year.
Romelu Lukaku has been disgustingly bad since the start of the season, and whilst he has scored 4 goals in the league this year, he's not found the back of the net for his club since mid-September when he scored in a slender 1-2 victory over Watford. He had the least touches of any player on the pitch tonight, touching the ball just 20 times in 90 minutes.
He did score a goal on the night which was disallowed, but his overall play has been utter rubbish, and for a player who cost £75 million, he looks like a player who's lost his will to succeed. Lukaku was accused earlier of being a flat track bully, not scoring against any of the big teams. He's failing to live up to even that tag, not being able to put away chances a striker of his abilities should be able to.
#2 No midfield identity
Manchester United is a grand old club, a club with a long history of iconic players who've donned the famous red kit in Manchester. United have had tremendous midfielders in the past, with players like Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, David Beckham a few of the many who have graced the Old Trafford with their skills.
United's midfield now consists of the likes of Marouane Fellaini, Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrera, Fred, a past it Juan Mata and the enigma that is Paul Pogba. That is just not a group of players you can expect to win games on a consistent basis, especially if you're at a club like Manchester United.
Paul Pogba is unquestionably one of the best talents in the Premier League if not in World Football, and the coach and his teammates need to give the mercurial Frenchmen more freedom to express his talent. Those who doubt the player must ask themselves if the same guy was working under a more attack-minded coach like Guardiola or Zidane or Sarri, would he not be talked about the same way we talk about Kevin de Bruyne?
Nemanja Matic has looked way off from the form he displayed for the majority of last season and has started this campaign with the same intensity with which he ends calendar years, tired and devoid of ideas. His strong start to last year coincided with the best looking Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure.
United need a structure and defined roles in midfield during both attacking and defensive phases and the club and coach should really start working on that, or they could really fall behind clubs like Manchester City, Spurs & Co. who already have a solid structure in place.
#3 Wayne Hennesey
Wayne Hennesey put in a great performance on the night and was Man of the Match in my book, making 5 saves on the night. He punched the ball away from danger on multiple occasions throughout the night and was quick to come out and collect crosses aimed at the heads of giants like Fellaini, Lukaku etc.
He recovered the ball 12 times for his team, diving in at the feet of attackers on multiple occasions to steal the ball and start the counter for his team. He delivered 21 long balls on the night, with 6 of them finding their target, and was the best player on the pitch tonight for either team, and he was a major major reason why United came away from this meeting with only a point to show for.
